Rene Seiersen (LLM ’21) may be far away from where he was born, but he has made himself right at home at Georgia State.
His journey began while he was a law student at Aarhus University in his native Denmark when he signed up for an Intro to U.S. Law course taught by Georgia State Law Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Ryan Rowberry.
“I definitely didn’t think in two years or so I would be living here and pursuing a degree here,” Seiersen said. “I was thinking I was going to finish my degree in Denmark and practice there. I’m really glad that things changed.”
Seiersen enjoyed the class so much, he invited Rowberry back to his home for a traditional Danish meal, and the two have remained friends.
When Seiersen heard of an opportunity to come to Georgia State as a legal exchange student, he took it. He’d finished his degree in Denmark and started working in intellectual property law, but meeting his girlfriend, who is from South Carolina, gave him an additional reason to return to the United States.
He was accepted to the LL.M. bar track program and prepared to move to the U.S. Howeber, Seiersen’s move back to the United States almost did not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It all opened up a couple weeks before the last date I could come to the states,” he said. “I had to get here by the time school began in August. I got a meeting at the U.S. embassy the week before in Denmark, and I got my Visa two days before my flight and arrived on the last day.”
He said the biggest adjustment to studying law in America is the importance of common law and the amount of case reading students do, but he does prefer the American teaching style.
“In Denmark, it’s mostly big classes,” Seiersen said. “All you have are lectures, and it’s your own responsibility to keep up. You just have that and your exam. Here, there are more steps toward your exam. It makes sure you’re staying on track and not lagging behind. There’s more interaction between professors and students. That’s definitely a positive thing.”
Written by Alex Resnak